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LF (4x5) Newbie Questions

Lars

Lars

Active member
I've used f/6.8 wideangles (65 Grandagon pre-N I think, and a 65 f/8 Horseman) and they get very dark when focusing. Part of the problem is the oblique angle of the light hitting the ground glass. If you find this to be a problem then look into getting a fresnel lens to mound behind the ground glass. This will condensate the light exiting the groundglass a bit, so it's easier to see the entire image when using a wideangle lens.

With long lenses OTOH it's not a problem. I had a Fujinon-A 240 f/9 for a while and it was delightful to use on 4x5. A 210 Apo-Symmar will be rediculously bright and easy to focus.
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
I am trying to plan bags, while letting the f/5.6 vs. f/6.8 issue simmer in the back of my head, and would like to know the dimensions of the Chamonix collapsed. Unfortunately, they are not available on the website, and I don't find them anywhere else. Does anyone have them handy?

Lars, that is interesting about the angle of incidence and perceived darkness while focusing. The Chamonix comes with a Fresnel inserted, although it is removable. With the 45N-1 there are supposedly some potential focus accuracy issues with the Fresnel present, but the 45N-2 is meant to be fixed... How much difference does a Fresnel make to perceived brightness?
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
If considering the Schneider Super Angulon 90mm f/5.6, is it also worth considering the Rodenstock Grandagon-N 90mm f/4.5? It is just 40g heavier, but a bit more compact. What are these worth used?
 
viablex1

viablex1

Active member
Oren Grad said:
Any large format lens will focus to infinity on any large format camera, so long as the lens can be mounted on a lensboard that will fit the front standard of the camera, and the minimum bellows extension of the camera is shorter than the flange focal distance of the lens.

But the 120mm Makro-Symmar HM won't cover 4x5 at infinity. Also, it's optimized for use in the magnification range 1:4 - 4:1. A 120mm Symmar-S, Apo-Symmar or Apo-Symmar L would be a much better choice for general use on 4x5.
Click to expand...
thanks for that I really appreciate that, now I have good information,
 
F

Francois_A

New member
IMHO the Schneider 110XL would complement well the 210mm. It takes 67mm filter, weigh 425g, and is very sharp.
Regarding bellows, I have both the universal and the bag. The bag bellow makes movements much easier with my 72mm and the 47mm.
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
I think the 110mm XL is too new for me, and too expensive. It looks like the price is at least twice of the most expensive lenses mentioned in this thread, even used.
 
Lars

Lars

Active member
Yep the 110 SSXL is highly appreciated. I've been looking for a good deal on a used one for years, to no avail.
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
Well, I am heading off the deep end: I just listed a bunch of items I don't use any more on the B&S forum, including my Hartblei Super Rotator for Contax :( Hopefully this will offset the cost of the 4x5 system.
 
C

Chris C

Member
carstenw said:
...... How much difference does a Fresnel make to perceived brightness?
Click to expand...
Carsten - In the case of my Linhof Technikardan's screen; it made the difference between making the camera usable and sometimes unusable [and that's with F5.6 lenses and less]. I can't remember which fresnel I eventually opted for but it made a huge difference in my case [not all fresnels are equal, so take considered advice].

Another 'and another thing'; setting up a view camera with wide angle lens to photograph architecture can sorely test your tripod head. Too many tripod heads 'creep' when you tighten them [I wasted money on one designated as a 'large format head' which did that] - it can drive you fairly crazy. My number one piece of purchasing advice is to get a geared head so you can make the micro adjustments necessary with architectural work; it can really speed up set-up time.

............. Chris
 
jotloob

jotloob

Subscriber Member
carstenw said:
Chris, I am currently using the Manfrotto 405, so I hope I will be okay there.
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Carsten

Your move into 4x5 photography reminds me very much of my own way into 4x5 many years ago .
This includes all mentioned workflow steps .

I was using the MANFROTTO 405 , found it good , but decided for the ARCA SWISS CUBE because of te bulky design and weight of the 405 head .

In the meantime , I have given up my 4x5 darkroom , because I suffered too much , standing all day .
My MICRTEK ATRIXSCAN F1 scanner solved that problem .

I am still using my ARCA SWISS with RODENSTOCK lenses APO-SIRONAR 100 , 135 , 180 and 240 mm .

Good luck for your 4x5 work .

Jürgen
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
Thanks Jürgen! I will be using the 405 until I can afford a Cube :) One day that will come. I develop myself and will also scan, at least for now.

The bleeding has started. I sold some camera bags and am selling some lenses (see B&S), and sadly I missed a nice lens in Germany on eBay by a few minutes, while stupidly chatting with someone. Instead, I went for the $445 Apo-Symmar 210mm f5.6 I mentioned earlier. A bit too high, but not too much, and I don't see any others coming up. It is in very good condition from a seller with very good ratings, so I bit the bullet.
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
The Stroebel book arrived. I see what people mean, it is very encyclopedic, rather than tutorial in nature. I will start studying it tonight and see how I get along with it.
 
M

Mathijs

Guest
Good luck using 4x5", I find it to be very enjoyable. :) Though you know how it is, once you go 4x5"... You'll only want bigger!
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
Yes, but 8x10 is really too large for a shoulder bag, and I have no car, so there are natural limits to how large a format I can aspire to. 5x7 might work though...
 
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